Are you interested in a graduate education where you will combine neuroimaging and behavioral techniques with advanced noninvasive brain stimulation to examine cognition and enhance treatments? Dr. Medaglia is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Drexel University. He is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Neurology in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. He is accepting applications for graduate students who aim to begin in Fall 2018. Please see the program and application detailshere. Students seeking training in clinical or experimental neuropsychology and cognitive neuroscience are all encouraged to apply.

In the Cognitive Neuroengineering and Wellbeing (CogNeW) laboratory, we use neuroimaging, behavioral techniques, and neuromodulation to investigate and enhance human cognitive functions. Students broadly interested in uses of neuroimaging and neurostimulation to enact real-world benefits to human beings are encouraged to apply. Strong quantitative aptitude and skills are essential for students interested in network analysis and advanced statistical approaches. Students with specific interests in the core foci in the laboratory may find additional synergy with the research team and mentors.

Core research foci:Dr. Medaglia is a clinical neuropsychologist who studies control in the human brain. This is represented in three major themes in the laboratory:

(1) We research how the brain controls itself. Often called “cognitive control,” we study how functions like cognitive switching and response inhibition operate in the human brain, and how measured behaviors are related to everyday functioning.

(2) We use concepts from control theory to guide brain stimulation techniques such as transcranial magnetic stimulation and transcranial direct current stimulation.

(3) We study how changes in our increasingly connected world and rapid innovations in neuroengineering alter our view of ourselves and our everyday wellbeing. This includes projects at the interface between moral psychology, neuroengineering, and the law.

Representative conceptual papers:Interested students are highly encouraged to read these papers, which describe many of the basic concepts used in our work:

We use many of these tools in conjunction with a rapidly growing discipline known as network science to achieve our aims. We also use control theory to inform brain stimulation approaches.

Collaborations:Dr. Medaglia collaborates with several cognitive neuroscientists and neurologists at external universities. This gives students the opportunity to pursue research in neuroimaging and brain stimulation more broadly than the specific foci of the laboratory. Current collaborators include: